The chief constable of Avon and Somerset police has admitted her force is “institutionally racist” and “likely” to be treating LGBTQ+ people, women and disabled people unfairly.
Sarah Crew said she was determined to fight an unjust system and would “root out” officers proved to be racist or behaving in a discriminatory way, and said she was not motivated by “wokeism or political correctness” but by “common sense”.
Crew announced the force was making some changes around stop and search and out of court disposals, moves especially aimed at helping young black men, and vowed to continue to work with officers and communities to change its ways.
Crew said Louise Casey’s damning review into the Metropolitan police, published in March, which found there was institutional racism, misogyny and homophobia in the force, was one of the catalysts for Avon and Somerset to examine itself.
She said: “It’s been a stark reminder for policing as a whole that the need for real and profound change is essential if we are to retain the public’s trust and confidence. I recognise the issues around race, sexism and homophobia at Avon and Somerset police. Perhaps not as stark as we’ve seen elsewhere, but they are here nonetheless.
“When it comes to race, I’m in no doubt that, by Baroness Casey’s criteria at least, Avon and Somerset police is institutionally racist. I must accept that the definition fits. I think it’s likely to be true for misogyny, homophobia, and disability as well, though the gaps in the data don’t give us the sense of scale, impact, or certainty that we have for race.”
Crew said she was not labelling everyone who worked for the force racist. “I’m not talking about what’s in the hearts and minds of most people who work for Avon and Somerset police. This is about recognising the structural and institutional barriers that exist and which put people at a disadvantage in the way they interact with policing because of their race.”
Crew said the force had looked at how it carried out stop and searches. “All officers now receive regular refresher training on how to conduct fair and respectful stop searches, and the use of body-worn video to record all such interactions is mandatory.
“Internal and external scrutiny panels meet to review stop searches, to identify learning for individual officers and teams. A new stop search receipt is being developed to make it easier for people who have been stopped and searched to provide feedback. We are also working on a programme of online engagement to support young people in understanding their rights in stop and search.”
Plans are being developed to introduce a “chance to change” programme, which has been piloted by in West Yorkshire and London. Crew said she hoped the programme, which involves out of court disposals for low-level first-time offences, could help keep more young men of black heritage out of the criminal justice system.
